Salute to Retail!

October 26, 2011

On November 16, UH's Fourth Merchandising Star Awards, "A Salute to
Retail," will recognize members of the retail community for their
contributions to the industry. Presented by the UH Human Development and
Consumer Sciences Department (HDCS), doors open for the luncheon at 11
a.m. at River Oaks Country Club (1600 River Oaks Blvd.).

Honorees will include Robert "Bob" K. Devlin, vice president and
general manager of Neiman Marcus - Houston Galleria; Scott McClelland,
president of H.E.B.'s Houston Division; and Holly Moore, founder and
editor-in-chief of PaperCity. In addition to these industry veterans,
the event will recognize standout retailing students Calixto Mejia and
Camille Simmons, this year's scholarship recipients.

Proceeds from this event will benefit an endowment in HDCS' Retailing
and Consumer Sciences (RCS) program that prepares UH College of
Technology undergraduates for retail and human resources careers. The
event's chair is Dancie Perugini Ware and Paige Fertitta is co-chair.
Sheridan Williams serves as honorary chair, and Emmy-award winning news
anchor and reporter Dominique Sachse will emcee the event.

"This event provides educational outreach and benefits our students,"
said Dr. Shirley Ezell, associate professor of HDCS. "All of the
proceeds from the event go into our permanent endowment that provides
scholarships for Retailing and Consumer Sciences students to complete
their undergraduate degrees or to attend graduate school. The event
provides an incredible network for our students and showcases those
leaders who represent the very best in our industry. That combination is
hard to beat."

A multi-faceted department, HDCS offers a unique curriculum
focused on merchandising and human resources. Working with professionals
in the retail communities has provided the UH program with educational
opportunities for students to expand their creative retail intelligence.
Students are challenged to reinvent retail processes, to build entirely
new markets that meet untapped customer needs and to execute the right
ideas and bring them to market in record time.